Ryan Mason demands more respect from English football fans for Harry Kane

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By Martin Graham | 29th Apr 2023

Tottenham Hotspur interim Spurs manager Ryan Mason has demanded that ace striker Harry Kane be accorded more respect by fans of the club and of the England Three Lions.

His comments come ahead of their Premier League clash with Liverpool on Sunday (Liverpool v Tottenham EPL 2022-23) which could be the difference between a top four finish and a season in the UEFA Europa League.

Mason believes that Kane’s talents have been overlooked despite the 29-year-old being England’s record goalscorer as well as Spurs’. Mason believes that as a player, not many from England, past or present, have been able to match his achievements.

The former Spurs midfielder, who is Kane’s peer and a former teammate of his at the club’s academy and in the first team before an injury forced him to an early retirement and into coaching, also believes that England will miss their national team captain’s talents when he hangs up his boots.

Kane, who is also one of only three players to have crossed the 200-goal threshold in the Premier League, is still getting the stick for his lack of silverware. With another empty season about to wrap up, Mason has called for more respect on the man’s name and achievements.

“This country probably doesn’t appreciate how good he is as a footballer. He’s incredible, the Spurs interim manager said. “This country should appreciate we’ve got a real special talent.

“It’s probably natural, I think we say that about all our great players. Maybe in 10 years we’ll look back and we’ll say what a great player Harry really was and that we probably should have celebrated him more while we were enjoying watching him play football.

“I’ve always been quite consistent on that. I played with him, I saw it and I felt what kind of player he was. At the same time even as a fan of football, it’s hard not to love and appreciate the type of player that he is.

“It probably doesn’t get spoken about enough but off the pitch we’re talking about someone who has acted in the right way for over a decade now.

“There have been no problems, no negativity, no scandals and that says a lot for me. I know Harry very well and I know his family very well as well. He’s an example of what I’d want any young kid to look up to.”

Mason then spoke about the club’s chances and emphasised his confidence in being able to salvage their season and earn them a top four spot or a guaranteed Europa League place at the very least.

He has five games to go starting with Liverpool and his performance could see his stock rise among the club’s fans, some of whom already see an Eddie Howe in him.